British F3’s Lundqvist Stakes His Daytona Claim At Rockingham

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British GT, Mini Challenge JCW and BRDC British Formula 3 all staged their latest rounds last weekend at Rockingham where the latter’s Linus Lundqvist surged into the Sunoco Whelen Challenge lead.

Meanwhile, both Ant Whorton-Eales and Jordan Collard consolidated their status as Sunoco 240 Challenge contenders by again dominating the JCW class’ latest outing.

 Whelen: Lundqvist leaps into top-spot

A stellar weekend for Linus Lundqvist at Rockingham not only helped the Swede take the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship lead but also head the race for 2019’s Rolex 24 At Daytona prize drive.

Two of British F3’s races carry Sunoco Whelen Challenge points, and Lundqvist made both count courtesy of a victory, second place, pole position and fastest lap. That took his season’s average score to 100, 12.5 more than he achieved at the opening round earlier this month.

Lundqvist therefore leads Phil Keen by just one point after the British GT3 Pro suffered a mixed bag at Rockingham where points for pole position helped boost a relatively modest sixth place finish. However, his overall average was still cut by 13.75 points.

Mercedes-AMG factory driver Yelmer Buurman enjoyed a solid first British GT appearance at Oulton Park but announced himself as a genuine Whelen contender by winning from the back of the GT3 grid at Rockingham. The 100 points earned for doing so took his season’s average to 95.33, 7.83 more than fourth placed Stuart Moseley (Radical Masters SR8) and another 5.25 clear of Brad Smith (LMP3 Cup), neither of whom were in action last weekend.

Four of the top-10’s remaining places are now also filled by British GT drivers, Darren Turner’s GT3 podium helping him climb four positions to sixth ahead of GT4 race winner Patrik Matthiesen whose new class lap record also helped increase the Dane’s average by 33 points.

Jonny Adam and Callum Macleod are ninth and 10th, the latter moving up 10 places thanks to a GT3 rostrum, but both remain behind British F3’s Nicolai Kjaergaard despite the Dane’s average total being cut by 30 points.

240: Victories keep Whorton-Eales in the hunt

Dominant opening weekends for Kyle Reid and Steve Burgess ensured that Mini Challenge JCW and British GT Am front-runners were unable to overhaul the Mini Cooper and Radical Challenge drivers’ totals at Rockingham. However, several remain in contention should either of the early pace-setters falter next time out.

Two victories and a pole position represent a good return by anyone’s standard. However, a higher average at Oulton Park actually saw Ant Whorton-Eales lose ground in the 240 standings to not only Reid and Burgess but also F3 Cup driver Stephen Daly. Nevertheless, the JCW ace’s new total of 113.33 – reduced by 6.67 marks – still represents an excellent return from the first two weekends.

Indeed, current leader Reid – as well as Burgess and Daly – must maintain incredibly high standards throughout the campaign if they’re to fend off Whorton-Eales and fellow JCW title challenger Jordan Collard who remains fifth in the 240 standings, albeit with 13.33 fewer points than at the start of Rockingham’s race weekend.

British GT3 race winner Lee Mowle increased his average by 11 points to move up six places to seventh behind Radical Challenge racer Dominic Jackson, who also inherited a spot without turning a wheel. That was partly thanks to Jon Minshaw dropping from seventh to 10th following a frustrating British GT3 outing.

Minshaw’s misfortune also promoted F3 Cup’s Shane Kelly to eighth and partly helped British GT4’s Kelvin Fletcher, who climbed from 18th to ninth with a much-improved 86.17 average score courtesy of the class’ fastest amateur lap and Pro/Am podium.

But there was also disappointment for fellow GT4 Am Adam Balon who dropped from sixth to 12th overall.

 

 

Whorton-Eales Hits The Hat-Trick

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Ant Whorton-Eales couldn’t have hoped for a better start to this year’s MINI CHALLENGE JCW Championship, having racked up his third win on the bounce in a disrupted second race at Rockingham.

The win looked in doubt when AW-E drew the maximum number for the reversed grid, meaning he’d start back in eighth. But trouble for many of his rivals essentially handed Whorton-Eales yet another win.

Henry Neal should have started on pole, but his car lost drive shortly after he pulled away from the line to start the green flag lap, meaning the disappointed polesitter had to be towed off the track.

That left Lawrence Davey as the sole starter from the front row, but even he didn’t get the best launch. AW-E did, and was already up to fourth by the time the pack ran into Turn One, and then found himself in the lead when Davey and his closest challengers ran wide at Deene on the brakes.

The safety car made an appearance after the first tour when Brad Hutchison was spat into the Turn One wall after a tangle in the pack. New, and rather surprised, leader Whorton-Eales controlled the restart well, but the race was soon stopped by red flags after a multi-car tangle on the exit of Turn One.

The accident claimed the hopes of many of the race one protagonists, with Calum King, Luke Reade and James Gornall all removed from contention, alongside others.

With just three laps run, the grid was reformed for a standing start, and AW-E again got away well from pole, chased by Rob Smith, Jordan Collard, Ollie Pidgley, Lewis Brown and Davey.

As Whorton-Eales began to forge a sizable gap ahead, Smith was struggling. “I don’t know what’s going on, perhaps it was because we ran slightly older tyres, but the car didn’t feel that quick,” he said. “It was bumping like mad around Pif-Paf so that made it unsettled on the brakes into Gracelands. I was just hanging on.”

First Collard and then Brown deposed Smith, as Nathan Harrison – who had started back in 28th after his race one disappointment – closed in on the top four. With two laps to go Harrison had passed Smith for fourth and latched on to the rear of Brown. He drafted alongside into Deene and secured the final spot on the podium, but ran out of time to do anything about Collard or runaway leader Whorton-Eales.

“I like this place, I’ve always gone well around here – perhaps it’s because ovals are in my blood,” beamed AW-E. “I never expected to be into the lead off the first lap. I just got a great start and then the doors just got opened for me when they all went too deep into Deene. I just went straight through. I couldn’t have imagined a getter start to the year.”

Collard celebrated another strong weekend with second, but Harrison was a man relieved. “Starting so far back I just needed some points and never thought a podium would be possible,” said Harrison. “It just shows what can happen when you don’t give up and keep pushing. Ant’s on a roll, so recovering a podium here is massive in terms of keeping me in the fight.”

Brown, who had started the day 23rd for race one, said fourth was a strong result. “It was so near yet so far from the podium, but I can hardly be unhappy as I’d have definitely taken a P4 at the start of the day,” he said.

Rob Smith wound up fifth ahead of Pidgley, Rory Cuff, Davey and Jac Maybin. Ryan Dignan completed the top 10 ahead of Scott Jeffs, James Loukes, Ben Dimmack and newcomer Louis Doyle.

Lundqvist Launches Into BRDC F3 Championship Lead With Successful Sunday At Rockingham

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Double R Racing’s Linus Lundqvist is the new BRDC British F3 championship leader, after a Sunday full of silverware for the Swede.

Lundqvist finished third in the reverse grid race two earlier this morning, which fired him to the top of the standings, which he then extended with victory in race three, successfully holding off a determined Nicolai Kjaergaard, who made amends for a difficult Saturday with two second places today.

Kush Maini meanwhile announced himself as a championship contender, with his first ever car race win in race two this morning. This weekend’s results mean there have been five different race winners from the six races held so far, with Lundqvist the only driver to have won twice in 2018.

Race two
Lanan Racing’s Maini came from fifth on the grid to take victory in a thrilling race two, and made it five different race winners from the first five races of the year. Carlin’s Kjaergaard surged from 13th to claim second ahead of Lundqvist, who secured third with a last lap move having started 10th, and with his second podium of the weekend, moved into a narrow championship lead.

Jamie Chadwick finished fourth on the road, but was handed a five second time penalty for exceeding track limits and dropped to 10th, promoting Krish Mahadik, race one winner Tom Gamble and Manuel Maldonado to the top-six. Billy Monger, Jordan Cane, Clement Novalak and Chadwick completed the top-10.

Sasakorn Chaimongkol started the race from pole, and made a decent start to lead the majority of the first lap from his fellow front row starter Chia Wing Hoong. However it was a tightly packed field behind, and Maini had already worked his way up to third half way around the first lap from fifth on the grid. He picked off Chia and then claimed the lead at Tarzan, stretching a gap of almost a second from Chaimongkol at the end of the first lap.

Starting from 13th on the grid after his first lap retirement yesterday, Kjaergaard was already impressing and was up to fifth at the end of the first tour. While Maini stretched a lead of almost three seconds at the front, it was the Danish driver who was also catching the eye, moving into second by the end of lap two, and passing Chadwick, Chia and Chaimongkol, who dropped to 11th.

Maini though was pumping in fastest lap after fastest lap, and constantly stretching his lead at the front, his fastest laps being enough to secure him pole for race three.

The Indian driver claimed the win by almost five seconds from Kjaergaard, but behind them, the race was anything but decided. Chia held his own towards the front for a handful of laps, but eventually drifted back to finish 14th, one place ahead of pole man Chaimongkol.

As the faster drivers climbed through from the back, it was Chadwick who looked on course to claim third though she was holding a queue of drivers behind, which included Lundqvist, who started 10th, Mahadik who started eighth, Gamble who started 11th and Monger, who fought up from 12th.

Lundqvist tried on several occasions to force a move, notably on the approach to the Deene hairpin on lap 11, though he finally forced his way onto the podium by going around the outside of the hairpin on the last lap to claim the inside line for Yentwood. By this point though, Chadwick had picked up a five second penalty, and with the chasing pack so close behind her, plummeted down the order as the classification was settled at the flag.

Mahadik in fourth held off Tom Gamble by just 0.309s, with Monger just 0.240s further back, though Monger was given a three second penalty post-race after an incident with Maldonado. Cane meanwhile was pushed down the order a little in the opening stages, but battled away to claim eighth, 0.798s behind Maldonado, who started seventh and finished seventh on the road, but was elevated to sixth after Monger’s penalty. Novalak backed up his overtaking abilities demonstrated at Oulton Park by finishing inside the top-10 here, having started 15th, and classified 0.102s ahead of Chadwick.

Race three
Championship leader Lundqvist extended his advantage at the top of the standings with an exciting and hard fought win in the final BRDC British F3 Championship race of the day at Rockingham.

Starting third, the Swede made a great start to take the lead at turn one, and then rebuffed a constant challenge from a menacing Nicolai Kjaergaard to take his second win of the year. Pole sitter Kush Maini claimed third, with just 0.638s covering the trio at the flag.

Manuel Maldonado was fourth, with Jordan Cane fifth and Krish Mahadik sixth. Sun Yue Yang claimed seventh ahead of Sasakorn Chaimongkol, with newcomer Josh Mason ninth and Ben Hurst completing the top-10.

In an eventful race, Lundqvist twice had to contend with a safety car, as well as the ever present threat from Kjaergaard. The Swede made the best start from third on the grid to launch into the lead at turn one, passing Kjaergaard and Maini, while Billy Monger also challenged, but was boxed in on the way to Deene.

Once more, there was drama on the first lap as Arvin Esmaeili hit trouble at Deene, with team mate Jamie Chadwick stranded at Chapman and Pavan Ravishankar also failing to complete the first lap. Post-race Chia Wing Hoong was disqualified from the results for causing Esmaeili’s retirement, while Clement Novalak, who had finished seventh, was disqualified for contact with Chadwick.

Amongst this drama was the added spice of Lundqvist and Kjaergaard almost wheel to wheel around several corners, before the safety car was deployed to recover the three stranded cars, with Lundqvist just holding off Kjaergaard, with Maini, Monger and Gamble the early top-five.

The safety car pitted at the end of lap two, with Lundqvist and Kjaergaard resuming their duel. Just behind, a good restart from Monger put him into the slipstream of Maini and the Brit tried a move at Deene, only to be pushed wide on the exit and dropped down to sixth. Lundqvist established a lead of almost nine tenths from Kjaergaard, with Gamble and Mahadik profiting from Monger’s scrap with Maini to jump into fourth and fifth. Monger wasn’t down and out though, and immediately repassed Mahadik for fifth.

Lundqvist’s lead was trimmed to 0.6s by the end of lap five, with Kjaergaard charging him down, the pair lapping at almost identical speeds. Further back, an excellent scrap developed between Maldonado, Mahadik, Novalak, Cane, Sun Yue Yang and Owega, with the six drivers operating almost as one. The scrap was brought to a close though when Owega challenged Mahadik at Tarzan on lap eight, lost traction and hit the barrier, bringing out the safety car for the second time.

The safety car pitted at the end of lap 11, leaving three laps for Kjaergaard to find a way past for the lead. He challenged for the first time at Deene, but Lundqvist held him off, while Monger was challenging Gamble, passing him for fourth at Tarzan, only for Gamble to fight back and retake the position.

Lundqvist and Kjaergaard went side by side at Deene once more on lap 13, with Lundqvist just keeping his lead, and bringing Maini into the lead scrap too. Meanwhile Monger was again challenging Gamble at Deene, the Carlin driver opted for the outside line and the pair made contact, forcing Monger out of the race with just over a lap remaining. Gamble was disqualified post-race for his part in the incident.

With yellow flags flying at a prime overtaking position, Lundqvist was able to keep his cool on the final lap to secure his second victory of the year, and his third podium of the weekend, taking the flag less than three tenths clear of Kjaergaard, and Maini just behind.

In the championship standings, Lundqvist holds an 11 point lead over Kjaergaard, with race one winner Gamble third and 26 points further back. Race two winner Maini is fourth, six points behind Gamble, with Maldonado and Mahadik completing the top six.

Lundqvist commented: “It was a tough one, I can tell you that much! I’m very happy to end the weekend like this, ending it on a high and we’ve been on the podium in all three races. It feels very good, it’s great for our championship and a good boost for both me and the team going into the next round. Hopefully we can continue having weekends like this one!”

BRDC British F3 Championship, Rockingham race two top-10:
1. Kush Maini, Lanan Racing, 14 laps
2. Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, +4.910s
3. Linus Lundqvist, Double R Racing, +14.433s
4. Krish Mahadik, Double R Racing, +16.136s
5. Tom Gamble, Fortec Motorsports, +16.445s
6. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, +19.056s
7. Billy Monger, Carlin, +19.685s
8. Jordan Cane, Douglas Motorsport, +19.854s
9. Clement Novalak, Carlin, +20.876s
10. Jamie Chadwick, Douglas Motorsport, +20.978s

Click here for full result.

BRDC British F3 Championship, Rockingham race three top-10:
1. Linus Lundqvist, Double R Racing, 14 laps
2. Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, +0.260s
3. Kush Maini, Lanan Racing, +0.638s
4. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, +4.073s
5. Jordan Cane, Douglas Motorsport, +4.462s
6. Krish Mahadik, Double R Racing, +6.295s
7. Sun Yue Yang, Carlin, +6.901s
8. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +7.216s
9. Josh Mason, Lanan Racing, +9.563s
10. Ben Hurst, Hillspeed, +11.788s

Click here for full result.

BRDC British F3 Championship standings after race six of 24:
1. Linus Lundqvist, Double R Racing, 156pts
2. Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, 145pts
3. Tom Gamble, Fortec Motorsports, 119pts
4. Kush Maini, Lanan Racing, 113pts
5. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, 97pts
6. Krish Mahadik, Double R Racing, 86pts
7. Billy Monger, Carlin, 70pts
8. Jordan Cane, Douglas Motorsport, 67pts
9. Jamie Chadwick, Douglas Motorsport, 67pts
10. Sun Yue Yang, Carlin, 57pts

Click here for full standings

The next rounds of the BRDC British F3 Championship take place at Snetterton on 26-27 May. For more championship information visit www.britishf3.com.
 

-Ends-

 

Mowle And Buurman Win From The Back As HHC Claim GT4 Spoils At Rockingham

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Penalties and Safety Cars help ERC Sport’s Mercedes-AMG climb from last to first. Matthiesen and Pointon prove unstoppable in GT4

Lee Mowle, Yelmer Buurman, ERC Sport and Mercedes-AMG came through from last to claim their maiden outright British GT victories and take the championship lead at Rockingham earlier today following a frenetic two-hour enduro.

Meanwhile, Patrik Matthiesen and Callum Pointon executed a flawless race en route to a dominant GT4 victory for HHC Motorsport and Ginetta.

GT3: MOWLE AND BUURMAN EMERGE VICTORIOUS FROM ACTION-PACKED AFTERNOON

Four Safety Car periods and a slew of penalties helped ERC Sport’s Lee Mowle and Yelmer Buurman emerge victorious from a typically action-packed British GT encounter. The pair were joined on the podium by TF Sport’s Derek Johnston and Marco Sorensen – who were subsequently penalised 30s post-race – as well as Team Parker Racing’s Ian Loggie and Callum Macleod, although any number of crews could and probably should have featured on the rostrum.

Barwell Motorsport’s Jon Minshaw led the field away from pole but twice saw sizeable leads wiped out by Safety Car periods. Optimum’s Flick Haigh gave chase initially before losing out to Sam De Haan before the first Safety Car period, which was triggered by Shaun Balfe’s McLaren hitting the Turn 12 wall.

Haigh’s excursion at Tarzan just after the restart promoted Graham Davidson – flying in the Jetstream Aston Martin that started ninth – to third behind De Haan. The pair remained in that order until after the second caution period, required while David Pattison’s beached Tolman McLaren was retrieved, when Davidson dived down the inside at Deene.

The Scot then went after Minshaw who, having established a 10s lead before the second Safety Car, was unable to replicate that same pace thereafter. And although the Aston Martin was unable to find a way past, it was perfectly placed to inherit the lead during the pitstops when the #33 Lamborghini served its additional 20s success penalty for winning at Oulton Park.

Davidson’s co-driver Maxime Martin duly re-joined 15s ahead of Phil Keen, an advantage that was swiftly wiped out by the day’s third and fourth Safety Car periods in quick succession. But when the race went green for the final time Jetstream’s V12 Vantage was pinged for multiple track limits violations and had to serve a drive-through penalty.

That should have handed Barwell’s #33 Lamborghini the lead. However, just before Martin pitted, Keen was passed by Buurman whose co-driver Mowle had kept the AMG in contention throughout the opening stint while rivals faltered. Indeed, the Mercedes found itself seventh at half-distance after an electrical glitch stymied Mark Farmer’s Aston Martin, Derek Johnston received a drive-through penalty for contact, and Rick Parfitt Jnr was spun around. Buurman maintained the charge thereafter and was perfectly placed to benefit after also passing Darren Turner.

But while the race had come to ERC Sport, it was getting away from Barwell whose challenge faltered at the pitstops. First, De Haan’s Huracan – due to inherit second place – was retired with a clutch problem before co-driver Jonny Cocker had a chance to re-join. The pitstops also put paid to #33’s second place when Race Control handed Minshaw and Keen a subsequent 10s stop/go penalty for an infringement.

That gave Buurman a reasonably straightforward run to the chequered flag, which he took 4.3s clear of TF Sport’s Sorensen. However, the Aston Martin – which had already been handed a drive-through penalty for contact – ultimately had another 30s added to its race time as a direct result of spinning Parfitt Jnr out of fifth midway through the opening stint.

Team Parker Racing’s Ian Loggie and Callum Macleod therefore moved up one place to second in the final standings after the latter finally overhauled Beechdean AMR’s Darren Turner on the penultimate lap. Turner and Andrew Howard were third ahead of Haigh and Optimum co-driver Jonny Adam, who was also in hot pursuit of the podium places during the second stint.

Martin and Davidson recovered from their drive-through penalty to finish sixth on the road but fifth in the final result, while the latter’s charge from ninth to second earned him Blancpain’s Driver of the Day Award. Keen was just 0.2s behind at the finish and close enough to salvage sixth for Barwell after a tough raceday at Rockingham.

Johnston and Sorensen slotted into seventh, finishing ahead of Ryan Ratcliffe and Parfitt Jnr’s delayed Bentley which completed the classified GT3 entries.

GT4: MATTHIESEN AND POINTON STAKE THEIR CLAIM

HHC Motorsport’s Patrik Matthiesen and Callum Pointon claimed their maiden British GT4 victories at Rockingham, while UltraTek Racing Team RJN’s Stephen Johansen and Jesse Anttila were the first Pro/Am pairing home in second overall. Academy Motorsport’s Matt Nicoll-Jones and Will Moore completed the podium.

It was at the same venue 12 months ago that HHC broke their GT4 duck en route to both the Teams’ and Drivers’ titles, and the squad employed similar tactics to get the job done once again.

A demon start helped Matthiesen climb two places to second in the opening laps before hassling pole-sitter and race leader Charlie Fagg. Ben Green’s BMW made it a three-way scrap for the lead initially before an off at Deene dropped the M4 seventh.

That left the top-two and Equipe Verschuur’s rapidly advancing McLaren driven by Dan McKay nose-to-tail out front, the Ginetta closing right up and even alongside through the twisty infield before losing out to both 570Ss down the long straights. Lap after lap they circulated together before Matthiesen used the GT3 traffic to finally find a way past Fagg, who also lost out to McKay in the same move just before the pit window opened after 60 minutes.

But while both Equipe Verschuur and Tolman pitted their McLarens, HHC elected to wait another 10 minutes – just as they did 12 months ago – before calling in their #55 Ginetta. And with the extra 20s minimum pitstop time for all Silver Cup crews negated, Pointon re-joined the action still leading from Michael O’Brien, who’d taken over from Fagg.

But while the Ginetta was able to extend its lead and ultimately cruise to victory by 23s, O’Brien began slipping back into the clutches of his pursuers. Track-Club’s stop/go penalty for a short pitstop provided some relief initially, but there was no stopping Anttila who, as one half of UltraTek’s Pro/Am crew that also featured Johansen, had benefitted from the shorter minimum pitstop time. 11th before the pit window thus became fifth afterwards, before the Finn also passed Finlay Hutchison’s Verschuur McLaren, Ben Barnicoat’s penalised 570S and, ultimately, O’Brien.

Attention now switched to the final podium place, which featured a late four-way battle that eventually went Nicoll-Jones’ way. Academy’s #62 Aston Martin was running fourth before the stops in Moore’s hands but dropped to seventh when it re-joined as a result of the Silver Cup’s extra pitstop time. Nicoll-Jones wasn’t deterred, though, and carved his way back through the field late on to claim the final place on the podium.

UltraTek backed up its best-ever British GT4 result by also taking fourth overall and a Pro/Am one-two courtesy of Kelvin Fletcher and Martin Plowman, who both produced standout performances in their respective stints. Indeed, the latter made the decisive move on O’Brien on the final lap.

Equipe Verschuur finished sixth after spending all afternoon fighting at the front, while Century’s Ben Tuck and Ben Green battled back from their earlier issue to finish seventh. Tolman’s second Silver Cup McLaren of Lewis Proctor and Jordan Albert, plus Academy’s Tom Wood/Jan Jonck and Balfe Motorsport’s Graham Johnson/Mike Robinson completed the points paying positions.

Elsewhere, Team HARD. with Trade Price Cars won the PMW Expo Team of the Weekend Award for repairing their heavily damaged #88 Ginetta between practice and qualifying on Saturday, as well as persevering with issues throughout the race.

Meanwhile, lap records fell in both classes courtesy of Sorensen (1m17.769s) and Matthiesen (1m23.642s), who were awarded Sunoco Fastest Driver of the Weekend trophies on the podium.

Next up it’s Snetterton where British GT returns to its 2x 60-minute race format on May 26/27.

DRIVER QUOTES

Lee Mowle, #116 ERC Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I genuinely have no idea how we won that race! I picked up a few places when the McLaren and Optimum Aston went off, plus I think I passed Ian Loggie’s Bentley, but then I also gave a few away with a moment at Tarzan. Yelmer put a fab move on Phil [Keen], as well as a brilliant one around the outside of Darren [Turner], so there were two there plus some more from drive-through penalties! But the rest? No idea. I’ve never gone particularly well around here, and Oulton wasn’t the best circuit for the Mercedes, so to come away with two podiums in three races and the championship lead is remarkable, really!”

Patrik Matthiesen, #55 HHC Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4: “The team made the pitstop call – they could see I had the pace to make the gap and give Callum [Pointon] the lead after the stops. And I was like ‘ok, I’ll stay out and have some hammer time!’ I made a good start and enjoyed a fun battle with the McLaren and BMW, but couldn’t get past. It was quite tough for a few laps because as much as I wanted to take the lead I still had the BMW in my mirrors. That was maybe the toughest endurance race I’ve ever done.”

 

BRDC British F3 Youngsters Rev Up For Rockingham

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The BRDC British F3 Championship heads to Rockingham this weekend with two Scandinavian drivers leading the way in the championship standings.

Strong weekends at the season-opener at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend mean Carlin’s Nicolai Kjaergaard and Double R Racing’s Linus Lundqvist are currently top of the tree heading to Northamptonshire but, as the Oulton Park weekend proved, there are any number of drivers capable of running at the front of an international field.

Lundqvist claimed the first win of the year at Oulton Park to back up his championship credentials, before Manuel Maldonado and finally Kjaergaard each claimed victories, while a total of eight drivers went home having secured a podium finish during the weekend. Each victory was claimed by less than a second, and the hard fighting will most definitely continue at Rockingham this weekend!

Kjaergaard holds an 18-point lead in the standings over Lundqvist heading to Oulton Park, by virtue of his win and race one podium, while Fortec’s Tom Gamble is just three points further adrift, the young Brit taking his first F3 podium in the soaking wet final race at Oulton Park.

Lanan Racing’s Indian charge Kush Maini sits fourth in the standings, a position boosted by his podium in the final race of the Oulton Park weekend. He’s shown continuous strong form in testing and will be determined to make that show in racing conditions this weekend.

Douglas Motorsport’s Jamie Chadwick and Carlin’s Billy Monger have equal points, with both claiming podiums at Oulton Park. Chadwick’s third place in race two was her second rostrum in British F3, while Monger’s third place in race one was a dream comeback to racing after his 12-month layoff following his Formula 4 accident. Both drivers racked up the column inches afterwards, and will be keen for more in Northamptonshire.

Oulton Park race two winner Maldonado tasted his first ever car race victory last time out. He’s within touching distance of the drivers ahead of him, and six points clear of Clement Novalak, who showed prodigious pace at Oulton Park but didn’t quite have the luck to go with it. Tristan Charpentier, and Krish Mahadik complete the early championship top 10 heading into the second weekend of action.

Sasakorn Chaimongkol showed excellent consistency for Hillspeed at Oulton Park and lies just outside the top-10, while Arvin Esmaeili on his F3 debut delivered three decent showings. He’s a single point ahead of Sun Yue Yang, who proved he means business this year with a sixth place in the first race of the year.

Pavan Ravishankar and Ben Hurst banked three good results at Oulton Park and lie ahead of Douglas Motorsport’s returnee Jordan Cane, who has since confirmed he will compete the full season. He’s determined to make amends from a tricky opening round after a last minute call-up, and the three-time winner from 2017 must be considered as a prime championship contender.

Chris Dittmann Racing’s Chia Wing Hoong meanwhile enjoyed moments at the front of the field at Oulton Park, and will be keen for a better slice of luck this weekend.

New additions to the field
A 19-car field covering 12 nationalities is expected at the Northamptonshire speed bowl, with Lanan Racing’s Josh Mason, and Hillspeed’s Jusuf Owega set to make their debuts. Both have a good deal of experience at the wheel of the Tatuus Cosworth BRDC British F3 car, and will be aiming for a strong starts to their British F3 careers this weekend.

The BRDC British F3 action commences with four test sessions on Friday, while qualifying starts at 10.40 on Saturday ahead of the first race at 14.15. The exciting reverse grid race two starts at 11.05 on Sunday morning before the final encounter kicks off at 15.25.

All the drama at Rockingham can be followed on the official BRDC British F3 Championship website, with live timing and updates throughout the event. TV highlights will be available on ITV4 a week after the event, as well as across the Motorsport.tv network and BT Sport.

BRDC British F3 Championship standings after race three of 24:
1. Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, 88pts
2. Linus Lundqvist, Double R Racing, 70pts
3. Tom Gamble, Fortec Motorsports, 67pts
4. Kush Maini, Lanan Racing, 50pts
5. Jamie Chadwick, Douglas Motorsport, 49pts
6. Billy Monger, Carlin, 49pts
7. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, 46pts
8. Clement Novalak, Carlin, 40pts
9. Tristan Charpentier, Fortec Motorsports, 39pts
10. Krish Mahadik, Double R Racing, 31pts

 

Reid Tops 240 But Whelen Newcomers Can’t Catch Keen

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Several new drivers have emerged as Sunoco Whelen and 240 Challenge contenders in recent weekends following the start of all eligible championships’ 2018 seasons.

Mini Challenge Cooper Pro class front-runner Kyle Reid has vaulted to the top of the Sunoco 240 Challenge standings thanks to a dominant display at Donington Park, while Stuart Moseley occupies third in the Whelen points following Radical European Masters’ first outing of the year.

Whelen: Moseley up and running but Keen remains well clear

British GT Championship leader and 2015 Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Phil Keen continues to top the senior standings on 112.75 points, a total he could add to at Rockingham this weekend.

He’s joined on the same bill by nearest rivals and BRDC British F3 title contenders Nicolai Kjaergaard and Linus Lundqvist, who are currently 10.25 and 25.25 points further back.

However, the latter now shares third with last season’s Whelen runner-up Stuart Moseley who began his Radical European Masters SR3 campaign in impressive fashion at Estoril on April 13-15. Indeed, only a lack of entries and resulting loss of points prevented the Briton from making more of an impact on the Sunoco leaderboard after claiming all three pole positions and fastest laps, as well as two race victories.

Moseley’s 87.5 total is 5.25 points more than Brad Smith’s, whose strong LMP3 Cup form was similarly tempered by the low turnout at Donington last weekend. Two fastest laps and pole positions plus a win and fourth pace see the Mactech Motorsport driver slot into fifth.

The rest of the top-10 remains unchanged, with the first of British GT4’s Pro contingent, Ben Barnicoat, occupying sixth ahead of Yelmer Buurman, Scott Malvern, Jack Mitchell and Darren Turner. Colin Noble, who finished third in last year’s Whelen standings, is 12th at this early stage after beginning his LMP3 Cup campaign at Donington.

240: Impressive Reid serves notice

In contrast to its Whelen counterpart, the start of new seasons for several eligible series has resulted in considerable changes to the Sunoco 240 Challenge’s top-10 over the last two weeks.

Erstwhile leader Ant Whorton-Eales remains very much in contention on 120 points, but the Mini Challenge JCW ace’s total is now only good enough for third following Kyle Reid and Steve Burgess’ impressive first outings of 2018.

Mini Challenge racer Reid served notice of his 240 and Cooper Pro class title aspirations by dominating the championship’s opening weekend at Donington where a rare maximum score was only denied by Simon Walton recording Race 2’s fastest lap.

Nevertheless, his 130 points were still 8.33 more than Burgess scored in the first three races of this year’s Radical UK Challenge last weekend. Two wins, fastest laps and pole positions, plus another podium, leave him 1.67 points clear of Whorton-Eales, while Stephen Daly has slotted into fourth courtesy of a strong F3 Cup opener at Brands Hatch.

Jordan Collard, Adam Balon and Jon Minshaw all move down three places but have an opportunity to build on their 100+ scores this weekend at Rockingham, while Burgess’ Radical Challenge rival Dominic Jackson is eighth after adding a pole position to his podium haul at Donington. Shane Kelly (F3 Cup) and Jerome De Sadelier (Radical Challenge) complete the top-10.

This weekend sees British GT3 and GT4 drivers, plus those from BRDC British F3 and Mini Challenge JCW, battling it out for Sunoco Challenge points at Rockingham.

What are the Sunoco Challenges?

 The Sunoco Challenges provide an accurate assessment and comparison of performances across multiple championships during any given season. Points are awarded for qualifying and race results, including fastest lap, which are then converted into an individual average score for each competing driver over the course of a full campaign.

That means each race weekend offers drivers an equal chance to climb and drop down their respective Sunoco Challenge table. It also ensures that performances are taken into consideration across an entire season while placing less emphasis on one-off or unfair results.

This year’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion will win a fully funded race seat at the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona, courtesy of Whelen.

Meanwhile, Sunoco’s 240 Challenge champion will contest Daytona’s 240-minute Continental Tire SportsCar Championship support race held over the same January weekend at the wheel of a Sunoco-supported GT4 car.

The Sunoco Challenges are organised by Sunoco Racing Fuels’ official European distributor, Anglo American Oil Company Ltd.

To celebrate the Sunoco Whelen Challenge’s 10th anniversary AAOC is allowing all previous winners to enter once again. Ordinarily Bradley Smith (2014), Phil Keen (2015) and Jonny Adam (2016) would have been ineligible to fight for a second trip to Daytona.

Sunoco Whelen Challenge-eligible series

BRDC British Formula 3 Championship

British GT Championship – GT3 Pro and GT4 Pro

LMP3 Cup – Pro

Radical European Masters – SR3 Pro and SR8 Pro

Sunoco 240 Challenge-eligible series

Britcar Endurance Championship

British GT Championship – GT3 Am and GT4 Am

F3 Cup Championship

GT Cup Championship

LMP3 Cup – Am

Mini Challenge – JCW and Cooper Pro

Radical Challenge

Radical European Masters – SR3 Am and SR8 Am

Superb Smith Secures First LMP3 CUP Victory In Donington Thriller

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Superb Smith secures first LMP3 Cup victory in Donington Park thriller

SUPERB SMITH SECURES FIRST LMP3 CUP VICTORY IN DONINGTON PARK THRILLER

22 APRIL 2018

Mectech Motorsport took a first LMP3 Cup victory for itself and the Norma M30, in the hands of Bradley Smith and Duncan Williams, at Donington Park. Williams started on pole but fell back to fourth during his stint as he was harried by the fast-starting Johnny Mowlem, Jack Butel, and Andrew Bentley.

 

Mowlem, lining up seventh on the grid, took the lead on the opening lap of the 60-minute race in an incredible start, but was handed a 10s penalty for starting out of position. Williams was quickly put under pressure for second by Bentley who passed the Norma, then set after the race leader.

“It was a great race. I was told the car is a bit of a diva before I sat in it,” said Williams. “It needs someone of Bradley’s calibre to really show what it is capable of – I drive for 25-minutes and keep it on the black stuff! We’ve only had a small amount of running before this weekend in the dry, so we’re still learning about the car.”

Handing over to Smith at the pit stop, the Norma driver began setting a number of blistering laps in third place before passing Dominic Paul and hassling Charlie Hollings into a slight error by Hollings at McLeans, which allowed him to take the lead.

“Duncan did a great job of keeping it at the front of the field,” said Smith. “The team have worked really hard over the past few weeks, so thank you to the guys at Mectech and Norma for giving us a great car. We’ve learned a lot this weekend and hopefully we can continue to improve throughout the season.”

Hollings and Colin Noble were locked in a titanic battle for second place for much of the final part of the race, with the reigning champion desperately trying to find a way past but finding the United Autosports Ligier wherever he tried to go. As it looked like the pair would hold station Noble forced a small mistake by Hollings and made the move with a couple of minutes left.

“I had to lift on the start,” said Noble’s team-mate Tony Wells. “I settled into a rhythm and we had a smooth pit stop and Colin drove well to come through to second. It was interesting watching him try to get past lap after lap!”

“It’s quite tricky trying to follow through the high-aero corners out the back,” said Noble. “Following was hard and you get lots of understeer trying to stay close enough, but I kept him under pressure until he made a slight mistake and I got the undercut. I was happy, I had to work for it, but it was a good weekend with two second place finishes. We’re continuing our form after coming second in the Michelin Le Mans Cup and hopefully we can build on this weekend.”

Bentley was delighted with a podium spot and effusive in his praise for the LMP3 Cup after the weekend’s racing, while Hollings was also happy for the opportunity to race. “I really enjoyed that,” said Bentley. “Anyone handing a car over in the lead is going to be happy with it, but I haven’t driven it for over six months. I’ve had no testing or preparation, so to lead what is an incredibly strong field was brilliant. Huge thanks to United Autosports and Ligier for giving us the opportunity.”

“I wasn’t quick enough to be honest,” said Hollings. “The car was great all weekend, but we’ve broken the rear diffuser and I thought we might get away with it as I had that great stint with Colin Noble and keeping him behind, but he got past so well done to him and the guys in front. It’s been good fun, I’ve loved it, it’s a great car to drive so thank you to Ligier and United Autosports.”

Rounds three and four of the 2018 LMP3 Cup Championship take place at Brands Hatch on the Grand Prix circuit on May 19/20.

Results, 55 laps, 60m 37.130s

1 – Duncan Williams / Bradley Smith – Mectech Motorsport (Norma M30)
2 – Tony Wells / Colin Noble – Ecurie Ecosse Nielsen Racing (Ligier JS P3)
3 – Andrew Bentley / Charlie Hollings – United Autosports (Ligier JS P3)

Fastest lap

Bradley Smith, 1m 02.498s, 113.99 mph / 186.46 kph

 

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Burgess Doubles up at Donington. De Sadeleer Scores Maiden Win

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Donington Park, Leicestershire – Sunday 22 April 2018; Steve Burgess took a brace of Radical Challenge race wins at the season-opening rounds to leave Donington Park at the top of the title table. He shared the weekend spoils with series newcomer, reigning SR1 Cup Champion Jérôme de Sadeleer, who notched up his first victory of his […]

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SUNOCO CHALLENGE: KEEN GRABS EARLY WHELEN LEAD AS HAIGH AND BALON SHARE 240 SPOILS AT OULTON PARK

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British GT drivers sit atop both Sunoco UK Challenge standings after Oulton Park, with 2015 winner Phil Keen leading the Whelen points, and Flick Haigh and Adam Balon sharing 240’s summit!

? SUNOCO CHALLENGE: KEEN GRABS EARLY WHELEN LEAD AS HAIGH AND BALON SHARE 240 SPOILS AT OULTON PARKBritish GT drivers…

Posted by British GT Championship on Wednesday, 4 April 2018

OFFICIAL WHELEN STANDINGS 2nd April 2018

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Official standings for Sunoco Whelen Challenge 2018, 2nd April 2018.

Standings Name Team Series Average Points
1 Phil Keen Barwell Motorsport British GT3 112.75
2 Nicolai Kjaergaard Carlin Motorsport British F3 102.50
3 Linus Lundqvist Double R Racing British F3 87.50
4 Ben Barnicoat Track-Club British GT4 79.75
5 Yelmer Buurman ERC Sport British GT3 77.00
6 Scott Malvern Team Parker Racing British GT4 77.00
7 Jack Mitchell Century Motorsport British GT4 74.25
8 Darren Turner Beechdean AMR British GT3 71.50
9 Jonny Adam Optimum Motorsport British GT3 66.00
10 Michael O’Brien Tolman Motorsort British GT4 59.40
11 Charlie Fagg Tolman Motorsort British GT4 59.40
12 Will Burns HHC Mptorsport British GT4 57.75
13 Marco Sorensen TF Sport British GT3 55.00
14 Billy Monger Carlin Motorsport British F3 50.00
15 Patrick Kujala Barwell Motorsport British GT3 49.50
16 Callum Macleod Team Parker Racing British GT3 49.50
17 Kush Maini Lanan Racing British F3 45.00
18 Joe Osborne Tolman Motorsport British GT4 44.00
19 Clement Novalak Carlin Motorsport British F3 42.50
20 Nicki Thiim TF Sport British GT3 41.25
21 Jamie Chadwick Douglas Motorsport British F3 40.00
22 Callum Pointon HHC Mptorsport British GT4 39.60
23 Patrik Matthiesen HHC Motorsport British GT4 39.60
24 Mike Robinson Balfe Motorsport British GT4 35.75
25 Krishnaraaj Mahadik Double R Racing British F3 35.00
26 Jonny Cocker Barwell Motorsport British GT3 33.00
27 Martin Plowman UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 30.25
28 Tristan Charpentier Fortec Motorsports British F3 22.50
29 Sun Yue Yang Carlin Motorsport British F3 22.50
30 Jordan Albert Tolman Motorsort British GT4 22.28
31 Lewis Proctor Tolman Motorsort British GT4 22.28
32 Ben Tuck Century Motorsport British GT4 17.33
33 Ben Green Century Motorsport British GT4 17.33
34 Maxime Martin Jetstream Motorsport British GT3 16.50
35 Michael Broadhurst Fox Motorsport British GT4 16.50
Rob Bell Balfe Motorsport British GT3 13.75
36 Tom Wood Academy Motorsport British GT4 9.90
37 Jan Janck Academy Motorsport British GT4 9.90
38 Ryan Ratcliffe Team Parker Racing British GT3 2.75
39 Manuel Maldonado Fortec Motorsports British F3 2.50
40 Sasakorn Chaimongkol Hillspeed British F3 2.50
41 Ben Hurst Hillspeed British F3 0.00
42 Pavan Ravishankar Double R Racing British F3 0.00
43 Arvin Esmaeili Douglas Motorsport British F3 0.00
44 Chia Wing Hoong Chris Dittmann Racing British F3 0.00
45 Finlay Hutchinson Equipe Verschuur British GT4 0.00
46 Daniel McKay Equipe Verschuur British GT4 0.00
47 Callum Hawkins-Row Team Hard Racing British GT4 0.00
48 Matthew George Invictus Games Racing British GT4 0.00
49 Jesse Antilla UltraTek Racing Team RjN British GT4 0.00
50 Will Moore Academy Motorsport British GT4 0.00
51 Matt Nicoll-Jones Academy Motorsport British GT4 0.00
52 Sennan Fielding Stellar Motorsport British GT4 0.00
53 Alex Quin Stellar Motorsport British GT4 0.00
54 Dean Mcdonald Steller Performance British GT4 0.00
55 Benjamin Wallace Team Hard Racing British GT4 0.00
56 Devan Modell RJN Motorsport British GT3 0.00
57 Struan Moore RJN Motorsport British GT3 0.00